Structural, Technical, and Definitional Issues: The Case of Geography, “GIS,” and K-12 Classrooms in the United States

Abstract

This article examines the structural, technical, and definitional issues associated with linking specific technologies to K-12 content standards. It examines the case of the “Geography for Life” K-12 standards and the proliferation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to understand the wider implications of integrating the implementation of content standards with the introduction of highly specialized information systems. The article proposes geographic educators re-conceptualize “GIS” to engage the themes of contemporary geography, maximize the role of existing IT infrastructures, and facilitate standard implementation. While this article examines the case of geography, it demonstrates the need to assess the role, if any, for information technologies in the development and implementation of K-12 content standards in the classroom. Finally, the article examines the conceptual and practical importance of positioning information technologies within the context of both higher education and the K-12 classroom and acknowledging the inevitable tension that exists between these two distinct communities.

Internet-Based GIS in an Inductive Learning Environment: A Case Study of Ninth-Grade Geography Students

“…The probable barriers to extensive implementation of GIS in K-12 settings have been identified and reported in recent publications. Among the barriers typically described are the lack of teacher preparation in GIS for education, the high cost of geographic data and GIS software, the complexity of GIS software designed for professional use, teachers' limited time for GIS curriculum development, the lack of standards for GIS in education, the limitations of school technology infrastructures, technoanxiety among teachers, and institutional pressures on K-12 teachers to focus on standardized test objectives and content-transmission pedagogies (Baker 2005;Bednarz and Audet 1999;Gatrell 2001Gatrell , 2004Kerski 2003;Milson et al 2005;National Research Council 2006).…”

Evaluating the Implementation and Effectiveness of GIS-Based Application in Secondary School Geography Lessons

“…The presence of hardware, software and data are among the most important prerequisites to incorporate GIS in geography curriculums [33,34] . To increase the chance of the implementation of the GIS-based application, only private schools were selected because they had adequate computer labs capable of running the selected GIS software, were better at using ICT and their class size was generally smaller than public schools.…”

Internet-Based GIS Mapping in Support of K-12 Education

“…Ultimately, the rapid pace of technological innovation makes teaching about GIS all the more difficult (Heywood and Kemp 1997). Finally, many will argue that the aim of K-12 education is the preparation of critical thinkers and lifelong learners, goals better met by focusing on the science of geographic information (Gatrell 2001). Instruction with GIS, instruction that fosters critical thinking aided by technolo-gy, is far more in tune with the goals and objectives of current educational reform movements in the United States.…”

“…A formative review of K-12 GIS training workshops in the United States during 2002 revealed that a high proportion of GIS teacher-training workshops exceeded forty hours and focused on the development of desktop GIS skills (KanGIS 2002). For widespread K-12 adoption of computer-based mapping, the required commitment of time and resources is simply unacceptable (Gatrell 2001). Secondly, schools are plagued with variety of patchwork-style computing and network systems, frequently incapable of meeting the robust demands of desktop GIS.…”